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A ROUND JOURNEY FOR CHILDREN AND
GROWN-UP FOLKS: BY JENNIE M. DAY
HE Cloud cities in Cloudland were crowded one day
,with many Raindrop families. There were Mamma
and Papa Raindrop and all the little Raindrops
cuddled closely together, Uncle John Raindrop and
his family, Jeremiah Raindrop and his maiden sister,
and many others too numerous to mention. The
      *   /11 _ 1 *. 1        1.. . .J . . ~ - - . ..at r _--
             air was nfied witn suppressea excitement. I nose
who looked below could see that the earth was dark. Once in a
while a watchman appeared with his lantern and the light flashed out.
As the moments flew by, the crowds increased and the Raindrops
rolled and tumbled over each other in glee, making a great noise.
A little girl on the earth ran frightened from the window, but her
mother said: "It is only the raindrops having a holiday. By and by
they will come to visit us."
   The Cloud cities became more and more crowded. The watch-
man with his lantern found it hard to get through the streets, but
room was made for him and his light blazed out often. As soon as
he passed, the Raindrops became very gay and noisy; they rolled and
tumbled and laughed and the uproar was great.
   Larger and larger grew the Cloud cities until it seemed that Cloud-
land could hold no more. Then the jolly Raindrops shouted with
one voice:
   "Come, let us visit the earth! Let us dance on the roofs of the
houses and on the window-panes! Let us fall on the people and the
trees and the flowers! Come!"
   And down they went, one after the other, sometimes in groups,
sometimes singly, pushing, splashing, laughing! It was a merry party.
   The little girl clapped her hands and said: "What a fine drink my
flowers are getting!"
   The farmer leaped for joy as he thought of his fields, parched and dry.
   Now it happened that Mr. and Mrs. Round Raindrop and all
their children and grandchildren formed one joyous corpany and
landed in the same spot. They sank into the ground andtraveled
along in the darkness for a short time. They then came bubbling
out together and ran merrily down the hillside, singing as they went:
                 "Tumble out into the light,
                 Darkness is behind;
                 Don't we make a pretty sight
                 As we turn and wind?"
   Presently, they found themselves plunged into the midst of a
great, noisy throng. The little Raindrops shook with fear, but
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